Farmers and new learners observe and assess the capabilities of their lands to gradually change them to highly-efficient plots.

Through a learning system that allows any individual, youth or adult to have access to education, the program teaches practical skills to communities in Colombia and enables them to improve their well-being and financial resources.

10,000 trees in first phase of the program are to be planted within house gardens, mini-farms, and common areas that are shared by community members.

community will teach the participants how to clear, hoe, and fertilize the plants, and master ways to keep the trees safe from pests and crop diseases.

Let's travel to a country that is dressed in green and blessed with brown fertile soil. This is Colombia, the most biodiverse country in the world after Brazil and home to many species and ground for different types of native flora. Being born in this country seems to offer lots of food sources, chances to grow, and jobs to fill-in. But the area is losing enormous amounts of its trees to deforestation and change of functionality from conserving rainforests to cultivation. This is a threat for biodiversity and inhabitants of the region. In order to help restore the nature and increase food sovereignty, it is necessary to support and expand programs such as Agroforestry in the region.

Ensuring that the inhabitants have access to diverse sapling and native trees from a community nursery.

Like any other sustainable program, small agroforestry in Colombia also gives participants the chance to socialize, consult and explore together. The weekly meetings and workshops are a great place to share the knowledge and experiences that are gained from practice.

They also evaluate the progress of the program and its high-priority issues, and fabricate practical solutions for their current and future concerns. More complex concepts such as ways to distribute products, cost accounting, and product promotion are also introduced and gradually fit into the right place along the process.

The strong bond and connection formed within these communities foster a sense of belonging and motivates more involvement. In effect, people notice glimmers of positive change happening around them and clearly witness how unity and hard work transforms their lives for the better.

The socio-environmental impact of this program would be a shift of perspective among residents. They will regard themselves as a vibrant community rather than a dependent one! Such communities gain the required capabilities to increase their development capacities by collective work, address the environmental challenges, enhance their productivity and food sovereignty, and stabilize their economy and financial status.

Selling more products due to high quality and better taste

Production of organic food that is healthier and more nutritious

Growth in the rural prosumers to foresee and meet supply and demand

reports that “From 2001 to 2020, Colombia lost 4.66Mha of her tree cover, equivalent to a 5.7% decrease in tree coverage since 2000, and produced 2.59 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions.”. The reduction of animals and plants is leading to the loss of biodiversity and a shift in ecosystem functions. Here you can see Colombia Tree cover map (2001-2020):

Since the start of the program, more families have thrived and gained life changing benefits from agroforestry and planting trees. With your contributions today, more residents will take advantage of this program. Your support to sustain this mission will provide more nutritious food for people and preserve their native forests for next generations. To obtain more information and updates on this program, please visit:

At a glance, it is visible that deforestation is growing like cancer in the body of the country, and much fewer blue areas are left compared to the pink ones. It shows that deforestation is faster than our attempts to bring back the trees. But we can do better!

Fortunately, we can join hands to restore nature and increase food sovereignty by agroforestry in nations such as Colombia. For this purpose, FUNDAEC NGO has started programs in cooperation with TwoWings for planting trees and training local residents in agroforestry and botanical sciences. This will raise awareness about the importance of preserving the environment and practicing sustainable agriculture to reduce hunger crisis in the region.

One solution that shows positive and enduring results in Colombia, is training the local residents with life changing skills. FUNDAEC is taking care of this goal in a systematic education process where enthusiastic individuals, local families, and farmers with small farms meet in tutorial and training sessions to practice agroforestry.

They learn the basics of planting and nourishing a tree. Later, they internalize these concepts by practicing them consistently and sharing their innovative ideas. TwoWings is one of the non-profit organizations that promotes and financially supports the process by raising awareness and encouraging contributions. This allows the global community to contribute to the material and social well-being of such rural communities.

Agroforestry Shapes the Future of Colombia

Effects of Illiteracy on Society

This summer, our employee, Anna, visited the FUNDAEC organization in Colombia. FUNDAEC’s programs have been supported by TwoWing for years. In the course of this visit, she got to know more about the country, culture, and educational programs. It was discovered that the relationship between TwoWings and FUNDAEC could be deepened, and new insights could be gained. 

Does learning work the way it does in Europe, where knowledge is still often imparted through frontal teaching?  

As I just mentioned a moment ago: No. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning. Classes are made up of groups that try to work together to gain an understanding of FUNDAEC's materials. They are led by one or two tutors who act as facilitators and are responsible for creating an environment where everyone feels encouraged to share their thoughts and where consideration is given to all. And as I also mentioned, action is an essential part of the education. Based on theory, educational campaigns about health or the environment are conducted. Many of the participants have classes with children or younger youth in their neighborhoods, to whom they try to pass on knowledge in order to start social programs in return. These programs can vary greatly. Depending on the needs of a neighborhood or what suits the abilities of the participants. Thus, this type of education is closely linked to the local population and has a sustainability that impressed me deeply.    

Now briefly on a more general topic. Traveling in Colombia can be dangerous, especially alone as a woman. How did you find the security condition in the country?    

Well, yes. In principle, I avoid thinking in such categories, because it can become a real hindrance when traveling. But this time something curious actually happened to me. I was mugged on the open street, in a neighborhood considered safe. Two young men on a motorcycle stopped next to me, threatened me with a knife and snatched my handbag. Then, they got up and left. But the best part is yet to come: A brave citizen with incredible moral courage took up the chase and actually returned my purse to me. It still had EVERYTHING in it. It is sad to see to what deeds desperation can drive people. All the more, I am convinced that the kind of programs TwoWings is allowed to support in such areas are a fantastic way so that something like this will happen less and less in the future. And there are more and more people who act like my courageous rescuer!

You visited the FUNDAEC program in Colombia this summer. What were your first impressions of the country? 

It served the clichés that you have in your mind about Colombia. Before I had even arrived, I already had several extensive conversations with strangers who were always eager to help me or give me information about the country, so that my stay there would be as pleasant as possible. As a European, I am not quite used to this kind of effusive cordiality towards strangers. But it went on the whole time. The hospitality is unparalleled. I learned to dance samba in a living room and learned something new every day. 

FUNDAEC's programs are mostly concentrated in rural areas, far away from urban centers. What was the journey like? 

Adventurous. To get from the city of Cali to the surrounding villages, we usually took a special kind of cab. These particular cab drivers call themselves pirates because they operate in a legal gray area, but they are often the only way to get from point A to point B. In any case, my recommendation is if anyone is looking for an adrenaline rush, get in one of these pirate cabs! Most of the time, you're not alone! You'll be joined by other people who need to go in the same direction. Traffic rules quickly lose their validity during such a ride and you have this feeling that you otherwise only have on a roller coaster ride!    

What makes rural areas different from what we know here? 

Well, there are mostly no paved roads and the buildings look makeshift. Glazed windows are a rarity, but this is fine due to the warm climate. Everything is built very openly, but the lack of infrastructure is all too obvious. I have been in areas where access to drinking water is a challenge, which is why diseases are also very common among the population. Something that even though I have been there I still find hard to imagine!    

But now about the programs of FUNDAEC. How can you imagine the life of a FUNDAEC student? What are the teaching methods, daily routines? 

In principle, FUNDAEC has launched many programs, from schools to community-based projects on environmental protection. But at this point I would like to focus on one program in particular, the "Supporting Community Leaders Program". This program helps mostly young people to take responsibility for their education, their community, their families and their neighborhoods. Knowledge is imparted, but not only that, in parallel the skills to apply and pass on this knowledge. It is a fixed part of this education to start social programs in their respective neighborhoods and to involve more and more people in a process in which they actively work on the progress of the communities. The students themselves are guided in their entry into professional life and find many kinds of support in their programs. Theory and practice are seen as interdependent and not as two separate areas of knowledge transfer. 

Anna’s Experiences about FUNDAEC in Colombia

Read more about Anna, one of our volunteers, and her experiences in FUNDAEC's volunteering program.

 Nowadays, Education is one of the most important social discussions all around the world. Everyone can imagine when a society struggle against illiteracy, many different forces appear. In the following, there is a part of an article from the World Literacy Foundation in 2019 that addresses different factors and effects of illiteracy on the community.

“According to the World Literacy Foundation, 750 million illiterate people can’t read a single word and more than 2 billion people struggle to read and write a sentence.

Illiteracy is a global tragedy. At a glance, we often think illiteracy is not being able to read or write, but what does that actually mean on a deeper level? It’s a much bigger and more complex issue than one might think and it’s important to understand the devastating impacts of illiteracy. Imagine for a moment, not being able to read a simple sign or fill out an employment form. For individuals and families across the world, this still remains a real problem. Social and economic development is hindered.

Breaking the cycle of poverty does not happen overnight, but small steps towards change can be achieved through raising awareness and actively talking about the issue. It may not affect us personally, but consciously choosing to avoid a problem and hoping it will magically go away does not offer a solution either.”

To read the entire article, click the below link:

Ta, L 2019, How do low literacy levels impact on the community?, The World Literacy Foundation, accessed 17 March 2021, How Do Low Literacy Levels Impact On The Community? | World Literacy Foundation.

Read more on effects of illiteracy on society.

News & Updates

Insights

Nowadays, Education is one of the most important social discussions all around the world. Everyone can imagine when a society struggle against illiteracy, many different forces appear. In the following, there is a part ...

This summer, our employee, Anna, visited the FUNDAEC organization in Colombia. FUNDAEC’s programs have been supported by TwoWing for years. In the course of this visit, she got to know more about the country ...

The final tournament of TwoWings from the "Swing with Your Heart" Golf Tournament series of 2020 took place from 28th to 30th of May 2021. Upon arriving in the beautiful Bad Kleinkirchheim, we were warmly welcomed at ...

Let's travel to a country that is dressed in green and blessed with brown fertile soil. This is Colombia, the most biodiverse country in the world after Brazil and home to many species and ground for different types of native ...

May 2021 TwoWings Final Tournament Report

The final tournament of TwoWings from the "Swing with Your Heart" Golf Tournament series of 2020 took place from 28th to 30th of May 2021. Upon arriving in the beautiful Bad Kleinkirchheim, we were warmly welcomed at the Hotel Kolmhof. 

In the evening, we enjoyed the sunset at a champagne reception on the terrace with a view of the imposing ridge of the Nockberge mountains. There the participants were welcomed and informed about the key data for the final tournament. The time had finally come on Saturday! The final tournament was just around the corner. Upon arriving at the golf club, the last preparations were made. 

The next morning at 9 o'clock, the 5-hour 18-hole tournament started. Refreshments were also provided in between, as our participants were spoiled with lovingly prepared halfway catering. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky with the weather during the tournament but, our participants did not let a few raindrops stop them from playing a great golf tournament. 

The tournament weekend was rounded off with a gala dinner at Hotel Kolmhof and the award ceremony. Thanks to the excellent service of the Hotel Kolmhof staff, our guests were spoiled all around with culinary delights. After the awarding of the prizes, we let the evening come to an end in a cozy atmosphere. That wonderful weekend will certainly be remembered for a long time, and we are already looking forward to the next year final tournament. 

May 2021 TwoWings Final Tournament Report 

Read more about TwoWings 2021 Final Tournament that took place in May in beautiful Bad Kleinkirchheim.

The charming ambiance of the hotel and the cozy atmosphere make the stay an unforgettable experience. 

Awarding our participant Kurt Voglhuber from Attersee a price. 

Michaela Aigner was presented with an award. 

Thomas Gnigler was presented with an award 

Lucas Sulzberger from Römergolf at the ceremony. 

Our participants were surprised with a welcome gift upon arrival. 

Our participants getting ready for the final tournament. 

The golf club not only delights with its beautiful surroundings but also spoils the players with culinary delights from the region.

Kurt Betscher from Poysdorf at the ceremony